Video game ramblings

E3 Predictions

We’re now ten days away from the first E3 press conferences of 2016. Every year, I post predictions for the show on my Facebook. I was thinking that because this is the first year that I’m writing this blog, this gives me the opportunity to talk a little bit more about the predictions and why I feel that they will happen. For every press conference, I posted three predictions. The first is something that I’m certain will happen, the second is one that I have a pretty good feeling about, and the third is a complete shot in the dark. I’ve only ever gotten a shot in the dark prediction right once the whole time I’ve been doing this, so don’t be surprised if they seem impossible. Without further ado, here’s my predictions.

We’ll start with EA. My sure thing prediction was that we’ll see gameplay footage of Mass Effect Andromeda. Andromeda was announced a couple years ago and all we’ve seen are a couple CG trailers. There’s no way that the game won’t be in a playable state at this point. My pretty sure prediction was that the Star Wars game made by Visceral Games will be unveiled. That game has been talked about for so long that it really needs to be seen. However, the recent news that the game won’t be out until 2018 makes me not completely sure that it’ll happen. And my shot in the dark is that Knights of the Old Republic III will be announced. That’s not going to happen, but it’d be pretty cool, right?

Next up is Bethesda. My sure thing was that the next Fallout 4 DLC will be shown in-depth. Fallout 4 is still the big blockbuster title from Bethesda. and they’re DLC is big business. I think there’s no way that they’re not going to show that stuff and get the hype going. My pretty sure is that we’ll get a teaser for Elder Scrolls 6. It’s been long enough since Fallout 4’s release that I’m certain they’re already working on the next Elder Scrolls game. The only thing that makes me not 100% confident about this happening is that they may not want to pull away hype for anything Fallout 4 related. My shot in the dark is a brand new IP from the Fallout/Elder Scrolls team. If that’s happening, my previous prediction is invalid, but I’d really like to see them do something new.

Third is Microsoft. My sure thing is that Halo Wars 2 will have a gameplay reveal. We’ve already gotten a CG trailer, it’s time to show us what the game looks like. My pretty sure is that they’ll announce an upgraded Xbox. I made this prediction before all the “Scorpio” leaks from last week came out. I still am not 100% confident about this because according to the leaks, there’s also an Xbox slim being made. I’m not totally sure that if they’re going to try to sell a slim Xbox this year that they would be talking about an upgraded one for next year. But I really hope they do, I want to see it. And my shot in the dark is that they’ll announce Banjo-Threeie. I don’t think that’s going to happen, Rare’s already wrapped up with Sea of Thieves. But I would love to see it.

Ubisoft had a surprisingly great press conference last year, so we could get some major announcements this year. My sure thing is that there will be a gameplay reveal for Watch Dogs 2. This game has been confirmed as in development for a long time now, and we’re not getting a new Assassin’s Creed this year. Watch Dogs scratches a similar itch, and there’s no way that they aren’t ready to show it. My pretty sure is that a new Splinter Cell will be announced. Last year, there was three Tom Clancy games shown at E3, The Division, Rainbow Six Siege, and Ghost Recon Wildlands. Two of those are out already, so they have to have more lined up, and it’s Splinter Cell’s turn. This is only a pretty sure, because that’s entirely circumstantial evidence. My shot in the dark is that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is still happening. The game was announced a long time ago, and then vanished. It sure would be cool if it popped back up.

The best press conference last year in my opinion was Sony. There were so many “dream come true” announcements that it has a lot to live up to this year. My sure thing is that the new Kojima project will be named, have a CG trailer, but no gameplay. We know that they’re working with Kojima on something new, and being able to show that stuff would grant a lot of excitement. However, it’s way to early to show the game in action. My pretty sure is that a new Crash Bandicoot game will be announced. There’s been a lot of signs pointing towards something with Crash happening, such as Shawn Layden wearing a Crash shirt to a Crash cameo in a recent big Sony game. I think something is going to happen, but I’m not completely sure that it’ll happen this year. My shot in the dark is the Legend of Dragoon 2. Because what else does Sony have? C’mon.

And finally, we have Nintendo. Unfortunately, Nintendo is only talking about the new Zelda this year. So, my sure thing is that we’ll finally have a name for the game. There’s no way that they’re going to have Zelda plastered all over their booth the whole show and just keep calling it “Zelda U”. My pretty sure is that all the leaks from Emily Rogers will end up being real. She was already right about the game also coming to the NX, though to be fair, that was the safest bet. I really do think the other two will happen, as they reflect what has been said about this game trying to move past the Zelda mold. And finally, my shot in the dark is that Nintendo secretly will have the NX on display at the show. There’s no chance that this will happen, at all. But I really, really want it to happen.

And that’s my predictions! What do you guys think? Will this be a big E3, or will it be kind of boring? We’ve only got ten days until we know for sure. And I guess this is a good time to say what I’m planning to do on the blog for E3. I’m not going to go super in depth on each press conference, but I do want to talk about my thoughts on each day of the show. So stay tuned for that!